Linguistic relativity

Will my teacher hurt me if I make a mistake? Are there scary men who will try to take me when I am walking home after school and make me a soldier? Do I feel safe here? These are questions that most children born in the United States do not have to ask themselves when they enter for their first day of school. However, there are many children coming from countries such as Mexico and Sudan, where these are questions that children ask themselves every day. Accordingly, I began to ask myself the…

projecting their desired identity. Accommodation to a certain group of people or individual during speech will increases the solidarity between the speaker and the interlocutor but does not reflect the individual identity of the speaker who undergo linguistic accommodation. In a courtroom situation, a male witness was described to have a different conversational strategy from being assertive to being more passive, and use more features of women’s speech. This change is incited by the context. As…

rewarding as well as difficult and challenging process, a large number of students have met cultural shock problems in their life in English-speaking countries. Previously, Chinese university English teachers generally emphasized on demonstrating linguistic features in English language teaching, and Chinese students could hardly adapt to foreign cultures, and did come up with many problems mainly cultural problems in their academic career or daily activities. Nevertheless, the importance of…

Introduction English comes in many forms. Across the world, many different Englishes are spoken or written (Schneider, 2007). Language is not static; it moulds and forms as it is used (Aitchison, 2001). Each user brings their own flavour to the mix of sounds and symbols that make up the English language. (Reference required!) Almost all Englishes contain a form of both written and spoken communication. (Reference required!) Spoken communication tends towards transitory, informal exchanges…

Dylan Thomas once said, “Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry … makes you know that you are alone in this unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own.” (Huffington Post) Poetry is a vital language that is everywhere around us, but unfortunately ‘actual’ poetry is becoming a lot less popular. Nevertheless, poetry should not be a dead art -- rather it should be embraced. Poetry is a significant art form that positively affects people’s lives by…

1. Describe basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive academic language proficiency from your own understanding (1’). Interpersonal communication skills are the skills that English Language Learners (ELL’s) demonstrate when they are able to carry out a full conversation in the English language. Cognitive academic language proficiency on the other hand is that same students’ academic work in the English language. Just because a student can hold a conversation in English doesn’t mean…

term Ebonics in 1973 by psychologist Robert L. Williams, a now obsolete terminology, to the modern portrayal of African American Vernacular English, mass media presentation of linguistic differences in the black community has taken a particularly negative stance. The term Ebonics was first used to describe “certain linguistic patterns and codes that house a distinguishable and distinctive grammatical and lexicological base employed by some African Americans” (Daniel 74-5). Since its conception,…

Implicit learning is defined as abstract, automatic, unintentional, effortless, and unconscious learning. However, how do we know that someone has learned implicitly? Using what method, can we figure out the learning phrase of implicit learning? Many studies have been done on implicit learning starting from 1898. In 1967, Reber released a paper who aimed to investigate the process by which participants responds to the statistical nature of the stimulus arrayed. Through this study, Reber was able…

Epistemology and Contemporary Methodologies in English teaching Characterized by frequent change and innovation, the foundation of contemporary language teaching was developed during the early part of the twentieth century, as applied linguists as others pursued to build principles and procedures for the design of teaching methods and materials (RICHARDS; RODGERS, 2014, p. 1). The aim of the present text is to walk through the changes in language teaching through the methodologies, giving…

Elizabeth Bishop was one of America’s best poets; her poems were known to influence the world, mainly because she based her writings on real world experiences so that people could relate to her poems. According to Jonathan Sircy, “Bishop has a preference for poems with a happy ending or a ruefully cheerful one” (Sircy 1). Certain poems that Bishop has written end up in cheerful endings; such as, “The End of March,” “A Miracle for Breakfast,” and the “Moose.” One specific poem that diverges from…